'Wasn't That Special' Season Fourteen Bonus Material

As the Wasn’t That Special co-hosts watch each season of Saturday Night Live, they compare notes on each episode, chatting back and forth about both popular and long-forgotten sketches. Some of the topics they discuss make it to the final podcast; others are left on the cutting-room floor.

But for those of you who join at the Executive Producer level, you will have access to Christian and Scot’s behind-the-scenes notes, as well as bonus materials the co-hosts used to prepare for the episode.

Below is the Season Fourteen bonus notes section, with the clips coming next week.

So please help keep the podcast advertisement-free and upgrade to the Executive Producer level, which will keep these emails coming in the future.

Episode One: Tom Hanks

Christian: Lorne's line is always that you think the best cast was the one when you were in high school. But what if the best cast WAS the one when I was in high school? (I was 15-16 this season.)

Scot: This will work. This is OK. Shouldn't Miller get a writing credit for Update? How does that work? Sargent is 64/65 and still writing. Franken a "creative consultant" Famed audio guy Bob Clearmountain gets credits.

Mr. Short-Term Memory - Hanks and Victoria

Christian: I had forgotten how mean this is to Victoria. I feel so bad for her!

Scot: Phil starting to make things up to accomodate Hanks is a fantastic adjustment - Damn, this is good.

First Citiwide Change Bank

Christian: Nealon was originally supposed to play the Downey role, but he couldn't get it just right and got frustrated. Finally, he threw his hands up and said, "Jim, you know what you want, you just do it."

Scot: "The answer is simple: volume." Low-key one of the most-quoted SNL lines.

Dukakis/Bush Debate '88 - Hanks as Peter Jennings - Diane Sawyer (Jan) moderates Michael Dukakis (Lovitz) vs. George Bush (Dana) - Donaldson (Nealon) interrupts every question - Dukakis is "enraged" - Bush intros time machine defense - "I can't believe I'm losing to this guy" - Bush in bullet-proof bubble - Bush through Iran-Conta $$ was going to fund bombing of abortion clinics - "a thousand points of light" - Hartman as Brikley in post-debate (sounding a bit like Howard Cosell) - debut of kid as Dan Quayle

Scot: They would repeat this "what else is on TV" joke in a future debate - Dukakis getting elevated at lectern - Dana's Bush is still not *there* yet - Downey never loved that Dukakis line that people quoted - It's a classic. You could split this up into 5 parts and each of those also would be classics. What a massive swing; the length, the writing, the pre/post debate coverage. And it connected.

Christian: Everything a debate sketch should be. Begins a long trend of SNL thinking the only thing funny about Democrats is that they are too brainy.

Jew/Not a Jew Game Show - "You Make the Call" commercial

Christian: Funny and ballsy. Feels like either a Smigel or Franken (who does the V/O)

Scot: You can hear the crowd nervously laugh at the title - Hanks reading rules is both informative and entertaining - Nealon on Koch: "He's a Jew, Bob."

Girl Watchers at high school reunion

Scot: "It's been a while ... and it'll be a while." - Yeah, this is even better than the first one.

Pat Stevens Show - Barbara Bush (Hartman) & Kitty Dukakis (Jan) fight

Scot: OK, the path to a barely acceptable Pat Stevens is to let Phil and Jan cook.

Christian: I can't give it the extra point just because it's on a scorcher of an episode.

Outtakes from Big show Josh/Hanks staying in junior high and bullying other kids

Christian: It's the Billy Madison prequel!

Scot: Good little idea.

Episode Two: Matthew Broderick

Christian: Middling episode saved only by a lot of penises. Broderick was a good host, though.

Dan Quayle (Broderick) plays Graduate to Nancy Reagan’s (Jan) Mrs. Robinson - Nora brings back Jeanne Kirkpatrick

Christian: They had no way to get out of this.

Scot: Pretty much a straight GRADUATE thing, not much creativity.

Flashback from 5th Beatle Albert Goldman (Hartman) - plays trombone solo

Christian: Meh - a rehash. Sounds like Conan with the V/O.

Scot: Eddie Murphy did this idea better - Dana's first time as McCartney? - Nealon's Elvis isn't very good.

Cooking With Monkey - Dana hosts, visits with Lovitz as Frech chef -  Dana offers a "monkey deboner"

Christian: Interesting rumination on why we eat some animals but not others, but otherwise not a whole lot here.

Scot: The monkey orders are hilarious - "I'll take the little one clinging to the bigger one"

The Sugarcubes - “Birthday”

Christian: Bjork wearing a clock, Flavor Flav-style. In 1988!

Nude Beach Penis Sketch

Christian: The word "penis" is said 48 times. I counted. Written by Conan and Smigel.

Scot: Nealon's line is true! NBC dissolved Standards, which is how this made it on air - Is it funny to say "penis" on NBC? Yes. Yes, it is. - Years later, a NewsRadio episode ("Injury") was held by NBC for saying "penis" too often in primetime.

The Thumper Family - Bible thumpers who yell at each other with religious slogans. Broderick - son, Jackson, daughter, Hartman - dad, Hooks - mom

Christian: Interesting that Jackson plays in this, given this is sort of her upbringing, and it mocks evangelicals.

Scot: Feels like an attempt to piggy-back on the increased visibility of the televangelist movements, but never actually works.

Learning To Feel - "It's clear you're frightened."

Christian: Whoever decides to keep putting this on - take a look at yourself.

Laurie Metcalf film - Metcalf tells a boring story at a dinner party and nobody listens. A guy chokes and another guest has a choking story.

Christian: Catherine O'Hara finally makes it to SNL. Too bad it is in this.

The Sugarcubes - “Motorcrash”

Christian: Hardly seems possible this is from 1988 and not 1991, when these types of alternative bands broke.

Episode Three: John Laroquette

Scot: I keep coming back to this, but Victoria has to be one of the most underrated cast members to ever be on the show. The performances are subverting most of my expectations.

Michael Dukakis (Lovitz) is a space alien; tells superiors his plan isn’t working

Scot: Prescient: Dukakis complains he could win popular vote but lose Electoral College to Bush - Hartman steals another sketch

Carbon Paper commercial - "Come back .... to carbon paper"

Christian: Little disappointed the hipsters haven't started using it ironically.

Scot: I enjoyed carbon paper as a kid, I tell you.

Dan Quayle: President (Dana this time) - Bush dies, advisors inform Quayle

Christian: Dreadful.

Scot: Looooong exposition through opening crawl - looks like another instance of Nealon's real hair (he could play Larry Kudlow with that look)

Portrait of the Artist - everything Picasso (Lovitz) touches is valuable art

Christian: The Modern Lovers wrote a whole song about Pablo Picasso being an asshole...I know we have spent time praising Lovitz, but he is so consistently good. Definitely underrated in SNL history. [EDITOR’S NOTE: The Modern Lovers song is about Picasso never being called an asshole - Christian misremembered it. Apologies to Picasso, the Modern Lovers, and assholes everywhere.]

Scot: Lovitz has a gear here that not everyone possesses.

Pete's Fountain - diner patrons trade double entendres with a big-butt waitress (Nora)

Christian: Is the joke that her pants are corduroy?

Scot: The Widettes: The Next Generation - This must have been a dry run replayed, right? The audience is nowhere it should be. No laughs at jokes, no reactions at all for most of it.

Larroquette & Victoria keep talking about sex life while in a restaurant

Scot: I did not expect to based on the set-up, but I laughed a lot at this - Victoria's line about breaking the bed was a great topper.

Christian: Oh wow, disagree. Thought it was sort of lame.

Episode Four: Matthew Modine

Christian: Shaping up to be the best season yet.

Scot: Pardo's over-credit promos have returned (or are they just stripped out of the Comedy Central reruns?) - Modine didn't add much at all.

Drill sergeant (Hartman) assigns awkward nicknames to new recruits, can't find synonyms

Christian: Full Metal Jacket came out in 1987, starring...Matthew Modine.

The Liberal - Modine is a fugitive on the run in a conservative world

Christian: If Paul Krugman wrote an SNL piece it would be exactly this funny.

Scot: Eight years of Reagan and looking like four years of Bush (at this point) and this is the cope.

Weekend Update - Arnold endorses Bush, tears arm off - Franken on Electoral College picture, celebs give analysis - condom stapled into magazine - testing condoms on Howie Mandel's head - A Whitney Brown Big Picture - violence at California Raisins concert

Christian: The Franken bit is amazing, even if it is delusional wishcasting. Prescient joke about your computer catching viruses. How many computers were online in 1988?

Scot: Franken floats Dukakis *electoral* victory while losing popular (also, wow, this whole thing is amazing) - Celebs working for Dukakis: "Justine Bateman feels the rust belt is the key to this election. Ally Sheedy agrees ... Rob Lowe this Dukakis could make inroads into farm belt." - Orson Bean reference (later Andrew Breitbart's father-in-law) - Joe Piscopo political analysis! - Brown: "The time will come when Jimmy Carter looks like a great president." Prescient (for some)?

Dukakis After Dark - Planned to use time to ask for votes, but certain loss. Cocktail party instead. - Modine as Bentsen (replacing Nealon) - Black actor plays Willie Horton - Joan Baez plays - Phil plays a hammered, horny Ted Kennedy

Christian: At least there is a passing acknowledgement that some left-wing issues aren't popular.

Scot: "With federal matching funds, you paid for half of it" - "You were going to raise taxes, weren't you? Yep. Through the roof." - Dana's Carter is a litle rough - I think Phil breaks a little at the end.

Two Sammies (Carvey and Nealon) - watching hockey with Modine

Christian: Would it have been too hard for these guys to do a Hans and Franz?

Scot: Back after ... two years?? - Oh, I forgot the catchphrase from this one: "another thing I'm never gonna do."

Episode Five: Demi Moore

Christian: Our tastes are separating! Soon you'll see me giving Pat Stevens a five-star rating.

Scot: Weekend Update cruising right now

President-elect George Bush has extra money for one last negative ad - Bush: He beat a bad man

Christian: This wouldn't be as outrageous today - hammering a candidate you just defeated. The kid sitting in Carvey’s lap is a baby Kirsten Dunst!

Scot: Weird to see a hugely prominent actor speaking on behalf of a GOP candidate - transition from early Bush to classic Bush still happening.

Hans and Franz camping - talking about the universe - Franken is Park Ranger

Christian: I thought this one was sort of sweet! I laughed at a lot of lines that died with the audience, so I am probably alone on this.

Scot: Feels a bit like the Wayne's World scene at the airport - not the best use of these characters, to be honest.

The World of Dr. Know It All

Scot: A swing at Mr. Wizard's World on Nickelodeon, right down to the logo - "Becky is wrong because she is a girl and this is ... science."

One Man's Demons - voices in Phil's head are actually pretty helpful

Christian: Did not get this at all.

Scot: Not bad, laughed at "weatherstripping," but didn't love the ending.

Nealon tries to keep Moore calm as he fights rattlesnake biting her

Christian: I am a sucker for good puppetry (see: the dinosaur sketch from a couple season ago.) I chuckled the whole way through.

Scot: Nealon always gets stuck in (or maybe suggests?) these repetitive things.

Episode Six: John Lithgow

Scot: Very light Victoria episode - not a lot of peaks the last two shows but also not bottoming-out.

Dieting Oprah Winfrey (Jan in blackface) sees food everywhere during her show

Christian: Doing Oprah dirty even after she played along on the show. Rough.

Scot: Jan's Oprah isn't very good, but when the foodhead guests are arguing the sketch comes alive.

Master Thespian - Baudelaire fakes death to get Master Thespian’s role as Hamlet

Christian: About as average as these get, which is to say, still pretty damn good.

Scot: Neither here nor there, but Lovitz's hair is just terrible this season.

Professor’s (Lithgow) fear of skeletons makes his job difficult

Christian: On his podcast, as an example of bad sketch writing, Conan will make up something like "veterinarian who is afraid of dogs" or some such formulation. So maybe he thinks it's hacky because he used to use it, or he saw other people do it.

Scot: I wonder if Conan wrote this because the jokes feel very Simpson-y. Like, I could see Homer being Lithgow.

Episode Seven: Danny DeVito

Pumping Up With Hans & Franz - opening new gym, The Pumpatorium, managed by DeVito - cousin Arnold Schwarzenegger visits

Christian: There is an essay to be written about how Hans and Franz, Pat Stevens, Master Thespian, and others are all really the same character. Just different styles of self-delusion.

Scot: Back in the weight room after the campsite visit - Is this the first "girly men" usage?

Sex Tonight - Jessica Hahn (Jan) helps anchor with Nealon - Casey Kasem Top 5 Masturbation Euphmisms - Reclino Love Lounge- Wilford Brimley (Hartman) endorses sex chair for seniors

Christian: Yikes, no laughs to be found here, it's just flat. The Kasem bit was the best part, but not great.

Scot: Some tech issues with the Kasem's bit - the conclusion doesn't quite stand up with the rest of the sketch, but otherwise very good.

Scrooge’s (DeVito's) change in attitude has hurt him financially

Christian: Worthy of community theater.

Scot: You can hear people coughing in the audience - HOLY COW. This is a fantastic premise but the crowd is utterly dead and they didn't write it in a way that would garner big laughs. Really strange. Just a big swing and a miss.

The Bangles - “In Your Room”

Christian: Always had a big crush on the bass player, whose name is Michael Steele. Important to note she is a different person than the former Chairman of the Republican Party.

You Shot Me!

Christian: Some real writing pains this week.

Scot: Lovitz said the sketch was dying (he's not wrong), so he just went "Ya Shot Me!" about 10x more than in the script - only Lovitz could have saved this from a worse fate.

Scot: What was the deal with the crowd tonight? Just out of it completely - It's a four-prostitute night for Jan. Nora and Victoria almost entirely absent again.

Christian: The crowd was out of it because it was a dud of an episode. First one of the season.

Episode Eight: Kevin Kline

Christian: These last couple seem really light on Carvey and Hartman, and they've suffered as a result.

Scot: Disappointed in a lot of things this ep. Writing here is longer, slower-paced, a little more mannered - wanting you to laugh just at the premise rather than jokes.

A Trump Christmas with Donald (Phil) and Ivana (Jan) - looking for meaning in the holiday

Christian: Totally misses what's funny about Trump. Just sort of lays there.

Scot: Phil's Trump relies a lot on his Burt Reynolds; it's not great at this point - standard New York thing.

GameBreakers - Kline cares a bit too much about contestants, walks Nealon out when he loses, joins Victoria for dinner

Christian: Once I got what was happening, it really took off.

Scot: Random Odenkirk walk-through - this is such a writerly thing - I appreciate it, but it's just not quite funny enough to earn more.

The Big Chill alternate ending

Christian: It went on...forever.

Scot: Jan is so good here without even using words. It's the kind of performance that makes you wish she had more lead roles.

Kline asking questions to wife (Victoria), mostly answered with raspberries.

Christian: Let's just pretend we never saw this.

Scot: What in the world? - That is Chekov's phone at the beginning.

Episode Nine: Melanie Griffith

Christian: Back to form in this one.

Scot: All over the place numbers-wise in this one - TIL Griffith is Tippi Hedren's daughter.

First Guardian Metrocard commercial - Metrocard cares too much about its customers

Scot: Kinda prescient with the number of alerts and calls and emails you get these days (or is that just me?)

Christian: You beat me to the prescience thing - we are all on the grid at all times now and are always being watched.

Miss Self-Esteem USA Pageant - Nealon hosts as Michael Gross - New Yorker (Grffith) beats a Georgian (Jan) to win

Christian: The performances by Jackson and Hooks are pretty good, but yeah, this is just flat.

Scot: Nealon's Michael Gross is just ... Nealon with a beard. It worked on the FAMILY TIES thing, less so solo.

Dana reluctantly reclaims his Chapstick after letting people use it

Christian: Out of nowhere, a great escalation sketch. Perfect.

Scot: What a simple idea with wonderful escalation throughout - "I need something stiff. I have a dead snake."

Love Is a Dream - by Tom Schiller

Christian: A tearjerker, given the untimely deaths of both Hartman and Hooks. Much the same effect as Belushi in the graveyard and Gilda Radner dancing with Steve Martin.

Scot: This piece clearly has taken on a life of its own through the years, much like the Belushi-at-the-graveyard film, for many of the same reasons. But, damn. It's so sweet, so moving. Phil and Jan might well be the two greatest *actors* ever on the show.

Sweeney sisters do medley of prison & Christmas songs for jailed hookers

Christian: I need a female perspective on the Sweeney Sisters, just to make sure I'm not being sexist in thinking they are as funny as canine cancer.

Scot: There are a lot of hookers this season, once again. Second one this episode. - First Sweeney this year, I think?

Nealon repeatedly misinterprets Griffith’s business talk as sexual invitations

Christian: This is straight out of the auto shop scene from Sixteen Candles? Also, Nealon's sketches rely heavily on a guy doing the same thing over and over without escalation.

Scot: Didn't find much here worth laughing about - And, again, Nealon in a repeated joke sketch.

Episode Ten: John Malkovich

Scot: Mike Myers’ first episode.

Barbara Bush (Phil) tries to get Nancy Reagan (Jan) out of the White House

Christian: Jan is really good in this. What is the purpose of the vase if Jan doesn't knock it over on the way out?

Scot: Jan does a lot with a little here.

Attitudes - Jan & Nora host an interview with driftwood sculptor Len Tukwilla (Malkovich)

Christian: I wanted this to be so much better. Didn't scratch its potential.

Scot: What is Nora doing here? - This has a very Chris Guest/improv feel which leaves a hit-and-miss sketch, in the end.

Gary Busey Motorcycle Helmets

Christian: Savage, but not in a funny way.

Scot: Busey ended up with permanent brain damage from the crash; it seems like you wouldn't get away with this today.

You Mock Me - Lord Edmund finds mockery where it does not exist, misses insults of his helpers

Christian: No real out to this one, but it's obviously great.

Scot: Myers' debut performance (doing an accent, of course) - Lovitz and Carvey give exactly what is needed here to make it work and, really, you needed someone like Malkovich to play the lead here.

Johnny Canal (Malkovich) tries to sell James Monroe (Phil) on extensive system of waterways

Christian: The perfect 10-to-1 sketch with the perfect host to pull it off. Silly and esoteric. But I am 100% in.

Scot: Written by Jack Handey - "Look, do you want the canals or not?" - enoyable from start to finish - today's high speed rail debate in a nutshell.

DJ Tony Trailer (Nealon) talks over radio station’s music

Scot: This is a mess, IMO. They didn't figure out how to establish the joke in the first place. The patter is bad. There's no progression at all. Also, they couldn't have shown Nealon how to work a fake fader?

Christian: You're just angry that they got radio stuff wrong. But yes, it sucks. I did laugh at Lovitz's call, so I gave it an extra point.

Episode Eleven: Tony Danza

Christian: It is encouraging that the worst episodes this season are just average. Shout out to Mike Myers in the goodnights!

Scot: Myers got a writing credit.

The Brooklyn Academy of Fine Art presents Da War Of Da Woilds

Scot: Just how funny do you find New York accents and stereotypes? - OK, Carney's Einstein is pretty great - I think I laughed enough at this for it to deserve a 4 rating.

Christian: My God - a 4 for this? Have you been drinking? (Also, Carvey's Einstein is just his Travolta in a different wig.)

Jan and Victoria spot Jesus Christ at restaurant, Jon talks with Moses

Christian: Phil as Jesus looks like Eddie Vedder. Is Franken in brownface as Buddha?

Scot: Back when you could have Muhammad show up in a sketch. Might not see that today.

Danza asks for woman's hand in marriage, turns out she is Phil's wife, he's insane

Christian: It's official: Victoria has fully supplanted Jan and Nora as female lead number one. She must have been much more fun to write for. No real end to this one...they could have had her run after Danza like she actually preferred him?

Episode Twelve: Ted Danson

Sam Malone (Danson) in Cheers bar with John Tower (Hartman) & Michael Dukakis (Lovitz) - Dana as Woody

Scot: Boy, it's fun to see Lovitz's Dukakis pop up.

Christian: Tower died two years later.

Plug Away with Harvey Fierstein - coach Pat Riley (Danson), Roseanne Barr (Victoria), Casey Kasem (Dana)

Christian: One of these was more than enough.

Scot: Debut of Victoria’s Roseanne impression - this thing is just not clicking with me, even though Dana's Kasem is excellent, as usual.

Danson and Nora live in an apartment among their hogs

Christian: No actual laughs, but the possibility Nora Dunn might get attacked by a hog kept me interested.

Scot: This is like a Family Guy bit in which what the characters are saying is unimportant. You're only watching the hogs/background.

Grumpy Old Men Dana and Jon complain

Christian: A launching pad for Dana's "Grumpy Old Man" character which will soon move to WU.

Scot: Another Piscopo bit stolen! (the last live Eddie Murphy show) - The older you get, the more accurate this is.

Episode Thirteen: Leslie Nielsen

Christian: Might be the best episode of the season so far.

Scot: Pretty great show despite only a little Phil - Nielsen took all the older man roles tonight - Oh, just setting the stage for two of the 1990s biggest film franchises, nbd.

Nealon brings back Mr. Subliminal, joined by Nielsen at bar

Christian: OK, the end took it up a notch.

Scot: Strong ending with Phil as the cop, I think (Did he come in too early? Was Nielsen supposed to talk to that woman?)

Snap Decision - Nielsen hosts, contestants try to deal with arbitrary rules

Christian: A perfect sketch for Nielsen. Great example of writing for the guest.

Scot: The absolute chaos and confusion - there's a whiff of "Common Knowledge" here, but I guess I just like this more.

Pat Stevens - Kim Alexis, Beverly Johnson, Cheryl Tiegs, joined by Herb (Neilsen)

Christian: The apocalypse is upon us. I liked this one! Nielsen is so good. "I have a mail order bulb and seed business" was a loud laugh.

Scot: Surprisingly, models can't really act so momentum keeps getting slowed.

The 1960s Movie - film contains elements typical of the genre

Christian: And lo, a billion dollar movie franchise was born. From a bad sketch.

Scot: Oh, hey, it's the seed of AUSTIN POWERS. If Myers gets a writing credit tonight, I know what it was. (And there he is. With another accent role.)

Geritech Products commercial - Blotch-Off, DripMaster, Bungking, Solidex

Christian: This is much funnier at age 50 than it was at age 16.

Wayne's World debut

Christian: A lot of rough edges to be smoothed out in the future (including the date rape approval and homophobic name-calling), but a good start. Takes the crowd a bit to get it, Hans and Franz-style. Extra point just for existing.

Scot: "Dream Weaver" would later be used in the movie - So much of this is fully-formed from the start, but the tone/humor would change - the rape-y stuff and the homophobia didn't make it very far, but the blow chunks and the top ten and the making fun of people right in front of them and the theme song and the interviews and the chemistry is all there.

Episode Fourteen: Glenn Close

Scot: This could be one of the best-acted episodes ever, and not just b/c of Close - bookstore, monologue, therapy, thespian, the 9 level song, elderly woman

Close's Fatal Attraction character is in a support group and scares everyone else.

Scot: This does a good job of defining all the characters in the sketch in a short period of time; good twist on the usual "host sketch."

Hans and Franz - clip of the duo’s Fantasy Dinner Date video

Christian: "Look at us now and fantasize about us at another point." A sketch's job is to be funny, and this is. Also, the seeds on Christopher Walken's first-person "Continental Hotel" sketches.

Scot: Essentially plug-and-play at this point.

An elderly woman (Close) is envious of her recently-deceased sister

Christian: A very nice character bit.

Scot: Excellent work by Jan and Close.

Episode Fifteen: Mary Tyler Moore

Scot: A weaker show overall, lots of stuff that didn't really have punchlines - Only two Church Chats at this point, showing enormous restraint. Why did they take a month off? - First episode featuring Ben Stiller, first lighted sign over the stage.

Elvis Costello,  “Veronica”

Christian: The most upbeat song ever about dementia.

Robot Repair - robotic repairman (Phil) is unhappy with his show's titles

Scot: It's a Jack Handey - so absurd and so, so good - Phil makes it sparkle and the pacing is pristine.

Christian: Yep, it's insanely good. Handey is the new Breckman.

Wayne's World - Garth's dad and math teacher (MTM) guest - extended "gimp" riff

Christian: 1989, when the word "penis" was a bad word, and the word "fag" was not.

Scot: Future sayings making their debut - "don't go mental" "as if" "no way, way" "fished in!"

Episode Sixteen: Mel Gibson

Christian: The key to this season: The bad episodes are average and the average episodes are still pretty good.

Scot: Did we see Myers at all? This was a pretty heavy Mel episode to the end. Trend here of writing hosts into more sketches?

Tales of Ribaldry - suggestive story of a woodsman (Gibson) & a lady (Nora) hosted by Lovitz

Christian: The story on this is that Lovitz wanted a character that said "goodbye everybody, goodbye," but Lorne thought it was lame - so he squeezed it in at the end here.

Scot: Another role only Lovitz pulls off.

Mel Gibson, Dream Gynocologist - Always busy, brings on Lovitz as assistant

Scot: Victoria is getting to be very very underused - a little short to merit more honor

Lethal Weapon VI - Glover cameo, retiring in 6 minutes - Gibson threatens to kill himself

Christian: Danny Glover was 43 years old when he declared he was "too old for this shit."

Episode Seventeen: Dolly Parton

Christian: Falls somewhere between average and good.

Scot: This is odd. A good host with energy but a rare instance this year where the material just isn't there.

Lothar of the Hill People - Lothar (Myers) and primitive guys on “walking with women”

Christian: Imagine how pissed Nora and Jan would be when Mike Myers shows up and after five episodes he starts getting prime featured roles.

Scot: Modern problems in the Middle Ages.

Mountain Stories - Dolly tells cast about TV-based stories her mother used to tell the family

Scot: The facial expressions are worth the price of admission - LOL at Lovitz being from the hills of Arkansas

Sprockets - Dieter interviews Butch Patrick (Stiller)

Scot: Never got this thing. Let's see if that changes. - Yeah, not so much.

Christian: HOW DARE YOU. This is extravagant. (Even though it mocks my people, the Germans.)

The Rusty Bone - Everyone has tails and acts like dogs and cats

Scot: Oh, that was really short. I liked what I saw. How did they control those tails so well?

Christian: I watched closely and it looks like each one of them has a fake arm, and the real arm is under the jacket controlling the tail.

Planet of the Enormous Hooters - small-breasted (host) is exiled from the Planet of the Enormous Hooters

Scot: Written for Raquel Welch back in S1 - Barely a sketch, in fact - You'd think they'd write more in 14 years.

Episode Eighteen: Geena Davis

Christian: Happy 16th birthday to me! I can drive now! Geena Davis auditioned for SNL in 1984, but Pamela Stephenson ended up getting the job. I still shake my head when I see "featuring Mike Myers and Ben Stiller." Jan and Nora are officially in the Julia Louis-Dreyfus/Mary Gross zone. Banished to their own sketches.

George Bush (Dana) checks in after 100 days

Christian: Finally, we get the full package.

Scot: Here it is. Dana must have spent some time on Bush because the impression pretty close to nailed. "It's bad, it's bad!" "Wouldn't be prudent" "Dan Quayle, gaining acceptance" "That whole area out there" - it's a pretty standard direct-to-camera open, but seeds are planted to do more with character.

Attitudes - an interview with the owner of a vintage clothes shop (host)

Christian: I have been on one of these shows.

Scot: Giving this another go, I see - No laughs found. Question: Why can't they find/write a good character for Jan? I liked Margie Keister, but she's pretty much background now.

The Palmer Bunch - Robert Palmer (Phil) with his “Addicted To Love” models at home - Davis is depressed dancer

Christian: Might have been funnier in 1989, as it was the most famous video at the time, but still not much here. I actually tweeted a story about one of his models and she retweeted me, which is pretty much the highlight of my life.

Scot: Ehhhhhh, there's not very much here. Slight chuckle from the synchronized movements.

Last Man on Earth - after the apocalypse, last woman (Davis) still won’t date last guy (Lovitz)

Scot: Certainly not played for the big laughs, but I liked Jon's desperation, Davis' attempts to hold him off. The music was very sweet. And Lovitz brought just enough lightness that you don't feel he's being annoying.

Christian: You are a sucker for the sweet ones, but you convinced me. It is superb.

Episode Nineteen: Wayne Gretzky

Christian: The first legitimately bad episode of the season. Took them 19 episodes. It seems like Carvey talks about this episode every other week on his podcast. A lot about how crazy it was to have to pump Gretzky up and make him more confident.

Scot: Gretzky was, let's face it, pretty terrible, even playing himself. But he had fun.

Fishing With the Anal Retentive Sportsman, Wayne plays himself

Christian: I remembered these being funnier.

Scot: This was not as successful.

Wayne's World - new camera guy - Gretzky guests as himself - Wayne fantasy about hockey with Gretzky

Christian: Now they are more lovable and behaving less like dicks. Kind of disappointed in Myers' skating ability - he is not going on the Best SNL Athletes I am keeping in my head for no reason.

Scot: Dana's Garth is not quite dialed in yet - first babe worship-type thing - doodillydoo dream sequence set to "Dream Weaver" - Well, this feels like the first complete Wayne's World sketch.

After Kings lose Stanley Cup, celebrities who don't know hockey stop by locker room (Stallone, Travolta, Begley Jr., Tina Youthers, Nicholson, George Hamilton, Bette Davis, others)

Christian: We found something Lovitz can't do - his Stallone is rough. Also, Howie Mandel is Canadian - he would know all about hockey.

Waikiki Hockey - a Hawaiian busboy (Gretzky) uses table-cleaning skills on ice then shows he can sing

Christian: The Elvis beach movies were 30 years old at that point. How many people still got these references?

Point Blank - Victoria hosts with Gretzky as himself, they don't have any answers

Christian: Oh man, I didn't get this at all. I am alone, clearly, the crowd loved it.

Scot: Did Nora write her call script herself? - This was fun and, man, just a little short of being special.

Episode Twenty: Steve Martin

Christian: This one was all over the board for me, but yes, it settled in as one of the best of the season.

Scot: An excellent, high-quality ep. Imagine 1, 13, and 20 will be very close in the averages.

George Bush gives status report on good & bad of his term

Christian: He's got the rhythm down, now it's time for actual jokes.

Scot: Pretty standard Oval Office address - "Not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent."

Hans and Franz - with world’s most perfectly pumped-up man (Martin)

Christian: Flat. They're running out of ideas.

Scot: Didn't actually do all that much with this concept.

The New Coneheads - Phil, Nora, and Victoria - Lorne previews new issue-oriented Coneheads sketches

Christian: HATE, HATE, HATE this. I understand the joke is that they are bringing them back, but this is sacrilege. And it isn't funny to boot.

Scot: Expected a bigger pop at the start for this - "We're from France. Yeah, that's the ticket." - the "very special" Coneheads work well.

Get To Know Me! with Don Parado, Phil as Iacocca, and Steve Martin

Christian: Lovitz can almost do no wrong.

Scot: "Why do women call me 'The Anchor'?" - I laughed my ass off.